HAMDEN, Conn. — Lauren Larson's 47 saves kept the Pioneers on the cusp of an upset, but a late third-period goal proved costly as the Sacred Heart University women's hockey team fell to No. 9/7 Quinnipiac, 2-1, on Tuesday afternoon.
69 seconds was what separated the Pioneers and Bobcats from entering a five-minute, sudden-death period of hockey on Kids Day at Quinnipiac's M&T Bank Arena. Instead of the frenetic ending that usually comes with the overtime frame, QU's final shot – its 49
th of the game – made its way past SHU goaltender
Lauren Larson to put the Bobcats ahead with over a minute remaining.
With both teams having faced each other only four days ago – an 8-1 decision to the ranked Bobcats at Martire Family Arena – Tuesday's affair proved to be a much tighter and evenly matched game. The Pioneers, who started the game with a power play due to a QU protocol violation, grabbed the first few chances, amassing a 4-1 shots on goal advantage through the first few minutes. Having failed to capitalize on the advantage, QU utilized the momentum shift to take charge and fire the next 16 shots on goal during the period to take a 17-5 advantage into the first intermission.
With neither side having been able to light the lamp through 20 minutes of action, it was the Pioneers who struck first with
Lake Bethard collecting her first collegiate goal just over a minute into the period.
With the Pioneers having been successfully in possession after a broken play in the QU zone, a sweet feed from
Bria Holm made its way to
Alyssa Antonakis with the latter batting the puck toward the point. All alone by the blueline, Bethard lined up and rifled a wrist shot through the carnage in front of the net and past QU's Felicia Frank to give the Pios a 1-0 lead.
With the Pios grabbing the lead early in the frame, QU battled back to draw even six minutes later with an odd carom off a SHU stick from the point that sent the puck fluttering towards Larson and past the SHU goaltender for a 1-1 score halfway through the second.
Still threatening, QU continued to barrage the SHU defense for the remaining 10 minutes of the period as the Pios held strong. On the other end, late in the frame, a surprise two-on-one chance developed with
Sami Bowlby and
Kate Helgeson streaking toward the QU net. Bowlby proceeded to beat her defender along the wing and slide a pass to Helgeson that was just out of the reach of the senior forward as the best opportunity for the Pios to take the lead went begging.
The special teams came out in full force during the third as the Pios skated for the first 1:48 of the frame on the power play thanks to a tripping call against QU's Kathryn Stockdale. SHU had its own chances on the advantage but mustered just one shot toward Frank as the final power-play opportunity for SHU could not convert.
On the other end, with both teams continuing to pester the other by virtue of stout defense, QU wound up getting the final three power play opportunities of the afternoon. Midway through the third, whistles proved costly as the Pios allowed QU :17 of five-on-three power play time courtesy of a
Sydney Antonakis tripping minor and
Isabella Chaput interference call. However, the Pios handled their own through both calls to go a perfect 4/4 until that point as the score remained level, 1-1.
SHU, still keeping QU at bay, committed its fifth and final offense of the afternoon in the final five minutes and change. Though QU continued its barrage of shots, Larson continued her stout performance in goal to keep the score deadlocked.
With regulation winding down, and the thoughts of overtime looming, it was QU's final shot of the afternoon that bested Larson with Emerson Jarvis sneaking a low shot past the pads of the SHU netminder for the eventual 2-1 win.
Of Note:
- Larson's 47 saves is now a new, single-game high for the Pioneer goaltender.
- Lake Bethard's goal is her first collegiate goal and first collegiate point.
- SHU's 2-1 loss is the closest matchup between the Pios and the Bobcats in the series' history.
Up Next:
The Pioneers conclude the 2024 portion of the schedule this weekend, taking part in a home-and-home exchange with the Post Eagles in New England Women's Hockey Alliance (NEWHA) action on December 6-7. Puck drop for Friday's affair at The Rinks at Shelton is scheduled for 1 p.m. while Saturday's contest from Martire Family Arena is slated for 7 p.m. More information can be found at sacredheartpioneers.com.
